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Stouffer disappearance investigated as possible kidnapping

By BRAD RHEN And LES STEWART

Lebanon Daily News

Updated:
08/15/2012 10:23:55 AM EDT

Kortne Stouffer

The disappearance 17 days ago of 21-year-old Palmyra woman Kortne Stouffer is being investigated as a possible kidnapping, but District Attorney Dave Arnold said that is more or less standard procedure for missing-person cases.

Arnold said the cover page of a search warrant that investigators used to look through Stouffer's apartment and car indicates that "kidnapping" and "unlawful restraint" are the possible crimes being investigated.

"There's a section of that cover page that references the possible crime ... and it says in there kidnapping and unlawful restraint," he said. "There are certain things you have to fill out in the form, and that's what was filled in there."

While the warrant itself is sealed, the front page is not, Arnold said.

Stouffer was officially last seen about 3:45 a.m. on Sunday, July 29, when police went to her apartment at 810 W. Main St. to investigate a noise complaint.

According to her family, Stouffer had gone to a bar in downtown Harrisburg the previous night with three acquaintances. One of those acquaintances spent the night at her apartment.

The overnight guest, whose name has not been disclosed, said he awoke about 7:30 a.m. and discovered Stouffer was not there, so he left.

When Stouffer did not show up for work on Monday, July 30, her mother went to her apartment. She found the door unlocked and Stouffer's wallet and cell phone inside and her car parked outside. But Stouffer was not there.

Stouffer's car was impounded by county detectives on Aug.

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Arnold said there are no updates on the case.

"Everyone here is still working pretty much on this and nothing else at this point, along with Palmyra and I know the state police are involved," he said. "A whole host of other agencies are involved as well."

Arnold met Monday afternoon with Stouffer's family members to provide an update and to brainstorm.

"We brainstorm in here together pretty much every single day," he said.

"We don't want to foreclose any possibilities so anybody that we can bring into the fold to add to that is always a good idea."

Scott Stouffer, Kortne's father, told reporters Monday afternoon that he had a better sense of what investigators are doing after meeting with Arnold and detectives working on his daughter's disappearance. But he did not provide specific details of what they discussed.

He said investigators do not know what happened to his daughter.

"They are diligently working on this," he told reporters at a late-afternoon news conference outside his family's home near Grantville. He said he asked them to seek the help of state police.

"They're treating it like it was their own daughter," he said of county officials.

On Monday, Scott Stouffer repeated what he has said before during the past two weeks. He believes that his daughter was taken from her apartment.

Stouffer family spokesman Matt Scott said Monday he was unaware of any recent developments. In the meantime, the family continues to search for her.

"The family continues to search areas of interest on our own," he said. "We've had several searches on horseback. The family is diligently searching and continues to look for information."

Scott said the family plans to start selling T-shirts to help raise award money and awareness.

A reward for information leading to Stouffer's whereabouts now amounts to more than $25,000, Scott said.

A poster about missing Kortne Stouffer is taped to a bollard on downtown Annville. These posters were put up on Saturday. (Jeremy Long / Lebanon Daily News)

Wendy Stouffer, the missing woman's mother, said that more than 5,000 flyers with her daughter's photos on them were handed out this past weekend.

Three billboards with her daughter's photos and information about her disappearance have been erected along routes 422 and 322, Mrs. Stouffer said.

An online tipline has been set up, she said. Mrs. Stouffer said anyone with any information can send it to: Kortneinfo@gmail.com.

The Stouffers also appeared on CNN's Headline News Monday night.

Arnold acknowledged that there are many theories floating around and said he does not rule out any of them.

"Even ones that on the surface seem a little odd - we don't discount them," he said. "We go through every single piece of information, every single theory, to see if we can take it somewhere. We really don't overlook anything that comes in online or anywhere else."